


The Lovebirds and the Hatchling

by AnnECasap



Series: Lovebirds [4]
Category: Mulan (2020)
Genre: Babysitting, F/F, Modern AU, Mulan panics, New Parents, Some Fluff, she's trying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26928214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnECasap/pseuds/AnnECasap
Summary: Honghui and his wife, Mei, leave their baby in the care of Mulan and Xian Lang to take care of some business. Can't be that hard, right? What could go wrong?
Relationships: Fa Mulan | Hua Mulan/Xian Lang (Disney)
Series: Lovebirds [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993798
Comments: 15
Kudos: 40





	The Lovebirds and the Hatchling

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with another lovely addition to this ship which I am dubbing "Lovebirds." Or, y'know, Warriorwitch sounds cool, too. New week, new story. This one is set in the same modern AUniverse as UST. Xian Lang is rich and successful AF! Please enjoy another one of my strange humor fics.
> 
> I do not own Mulan (2020). I do however, own Mei, Honghui’s wife. >;D

What should have been an easy five hours of babysitting turned into a complete disaster. Although Xian Lang was never comfortable being around children, she was surprisingly confident and capable of taking care of an infant. Mulan, on the other hand... Well, she was still young, naïve, and inexperienced. At least the martial arts instructor was trying.

Twisting her head from side to side, fear’s grip constricted tighter around her heart as the missing infant was nowhere to be seen in the vastness of their grassy, wooded land.

Suddenly, she could hear a faint, unmistakable squeal of glee behind her. Following the sound, relief and mortification crashed down on Xian Lang as she could only watch in horror as the baby crawled closer to the edge of the balcony.

“Oh no...”

The baby slipped through the gap in the railing and tumbled off the edge.

****

“So here’s all of Jun’s toys. He likes to play with the tiger one the most. That’s his favorite.” Honghui’s wife idly chatted away as she laid out the numerous baby toys on the table. Mulan and Xian Lang standing by, taking note.

She reached down to her bag and fished out three bottles of formula.

“I already fed him but if he gets hungry, these should last him until we return. We should be back by 5 and there’s plenty of diapers here in my bag. Honey!” She called out to her husband. “Are you ready?”

Honghui appeared into the kitchen from the living room, his child cooing softly in his arms. “Yes, dear.”

His wife moved to her family, Mulan and Xian Lang parting to the side. She smiled down at Jun and wiggled her finger for him to play with. He laughed as he grasped and shook it.

“Mommy’s gonna miss you so much, baby boy! You be good for Mulan and Xian Lang, ok?”

She reluctantly pulled away from her son to address her babysitters for the day. “Are you sure you guys are going to be ok with him?”

“Mei, we’ll be fine.” Xian Lang assured her.

“We got this under control. Go ahead and go.” Mulan beamed.

Mei shot them a comforting smile. “All right. If there’s anything you need or if something happens, I left my number on the table. Call me anytime.” She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I wish we didn’t have to meet with our agent today, but we’ll try to be back as soon as possible.”

Xian Lang waved her off. “Don’t worry about it.”

Mei and Honghui gave a kiss goodbye to their baby and transferred him over to the older woman’s careful arms. They exited the house and got into their car.

As they pulled out of the stone-laid driveway and onto the dirt road, Mei turned to her husband.

“You really think they’ll be fine?”

“Of course. I trust them.”

She sighed and sunk back into her seat. “You’re right. I have to nothing to worry about. Jun will be fine, they’ll be fine, we’ll be fine.”

Honghui noticed his wife’s unease. “You ok?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just-... I can’t help but feel something might happen, y’know? Like, mother’s intuition or something, I don’t know.”

Honghui brought his wife’s hand up to press a kiss to it. “I promise you, they’ll be fine. I have faith in them.”

****

They were not fine. Well, Mulan and Jun weren’t. The minute Jun’s parents left, he started crying loudly. That had prompted Mulan to start screaming and panicking, as if they had just made a fatal error and something was going to explode.

“Mulan,” Xian Lang addressed her girlfriend calmly while bouncing the crying infant lightly in her arms. “Please calm down. I got this taken care of.”

She resumed hushing the child while Mulan composed herself. The younger woman joined her girlfriend’s side and watched as the baby’s cries quieted. Xian Lang hadn’t even broken a nervous sweat.

“How..?”

“As an ornithologist, I have to study newborn chicks. I’m just applying what I’ve learned throughout the years.” She answered quietly.

Mulan let out a breath in relief. “Baby, I’m so lucky to have you here with me.”

Xian Lang chuckled and tilted her head up for a quick kiss to which the other woman happily supplied.

Brushing mussed locks out of her face, the instructor paused to take in the endearing sight of her lover graciously soothing a baby in her arms. A grin worked its way across her lips as her heart soared. Resting lightly on the armrest, she wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders as she gazed down at the tiny, cooing human being.

“Hey buddy..!” Mulan gently prodded his chubby cheeks with the pad of her index finger. Jun giggled and tried to catch the digit with his tiny hands. “We’re your aunties and we’re gonna be taking care of you today.”

They stayed there for a little while longer, simply enjoying each other and taking turns making Jun laugh. The gurgling of a stomach later and the baby was back to crying.

Mulan sprang to her feet and set off to rummage through their kitchen frantically.

“Quick! What do babies eat!? C-can they eat leftover pork and vegetables with rice!? What do we have that’s tiny sized!? S-should I chew up the food for him!?"

“Mulan, honey girl, breathe... Everything’s all right. Just heat up some water and bring it over here.” Xian Lang instructed as she bounced the hungry infant in her arms.

Mulan brought over the pot of hot water to table and anxiously stood by. The scientist dipped one of the bottles into the pot briefly and set it down to let it cool. When the temperature sat just right, she gently pressed the tip to the baby’s mouth to feed him. The cries hushed as he fed. His hunger now satiated, Xian Lang laid his bib on her shoulder and proceeded to pat his back to burp him.

“Wow you, really know what you’re doing.”

“Years of study and practice, love.”

Mulan smirked. A thought crossed her mind when she saw a certain kind of smile on her girlfriend’s face. One crafted out of dishonesty and secrecy. She knew her lover well enough by now to see the hidden pain behind her lips. Just as she was about to prod, she remembered just how dangerous the house actually was with all the combat ready martial arts weapons she had stashed in every room. Home security is always a necessity.

The martial arts instructor screamed as she ran wildly around the house. Xian Lang curled the baby around herself to shield his tiny ears from her girlfriend’s confusing shrieks.

“Mulan, what in the world are you doing?” She asked as the younger woman scrambled around their home.

The instructor paused her efforts to answer. “We need to hide all our weapons! Babe, we gotta baby-proof this entire house!”

Plucking a set of hidden throwing stars and knives from under the dining table, she darted to the living room to make safe the scene. Xian Lang just observed in amusement. Shaking her head fondly, she went back to playing with baby Jun in her arms.

“Why do we have so many weapons!? Why do you allow me to store such a large collection of lethal items in the house!?”

“You bring them home from work all the time. I can’t stop that.” The scientist answered over her shoulder.

“What the-?! There’s a mother-effing morning star under the couch!”

Xian Lang snickered. She was well aware of all the 52 assorted weapons stashed around their home. Every room seemed to be its own personal armory and their two-story house was large, complete with a gym for the martial arts instructor and a personal study room for the older woman plus the three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Being a former model and a well-accomplished, prodigy scientist with a doctorate in ornithology had its perks. Combined with living alone in the woods and having her home fully paid off, Xian Lang was out here living her best life.

“Thank you for the censorship!”

Mulan exasperatedly walked back into the kitchen with her arms full of swords, throwing weapons, a spear, an axe, a morning star, a pair of nunchucks hanging off her shoulder, and a bow with arrows.

“Why Honghui and Mei chose us to watch their baby, was absolutely a mistake. Y-you think they knew we had this much dangerous weapons in our home!?”

“Well don’t forget the upstairs while you’re at it, love.” Xian Lang winked and blew a kiss at her.

Mulan rolled her eyes and ascended the stairs, careful not to drop anything on the way up.

“I am never bringing work home ever again!” She called out from the stairway.

In all honesty, it probably was a bad idea for them to bring Jun over to babysit. But, it was either Mulan and Xian Lang watch Honghui’s boy or Yao.

The instructor wobbled back into the kitchen an hour or so later after accomplishing her task of baby-proofing the house. Who knew she had such an expansive arsenal at her disposal? She pulled up a chair across her beloved and unceremoniously plopped down.

“Hon, we could supply our own army if we could.”

“You have armor? Because we’re gonna need that, too.”

“Oh no! That’ll be your job! I supply the weapons, you supply the protection.”

Xian Lang hummed. “I suppose that’s fair. Not to mention, I do have a better fashion sense than you.”

Mulan recoiled in mock offense. “Why, my love! Are you telling me you do not approve of my fashion sense?”

She scoffed. “Or lack thereof. Honey girl, you wore one of your martial arts studio shirts to our first date.”

“I was nervous!” 

“You didn’t even change! I could smell the sweat evaporating off your skin!”

“Again, I was nervous and needed my comfort clothing. Have you met you?”

“Awww.” Xian Lang gushed. “There’s no need to be nervous in front of me.”

“Well yeah, not anymore. We already passed our second year mark together but, you’re-... I-...” she paused and sighed. “Sometimes I feel like, you’re out of my league. That I’m not good enough for you...”

The scientist leaned forward to gently grasp her lover’s chin and lay a reassuring kiss on her lips. “Mulan, I love you, ok? I’m the one that’s lucky to be with you. Don’t think like that, all right?”

The instructor smiled back. “All right.”

Their moment of tenderness was interrupted by rising sobs coming from Jun. They recoiled back as his cries became louder.

“What’s wrong!? Is he hungry again!?”

“No no no.” Upon further investigation, Xian Lang lifted Jun up to smell him. She grimaced and pulled back slightly.

“He just needs a diaper change. Grab the bag and follow me to the bathroom.”

Mulan nodded and trailed behind her girlfriend and the wailing infant. The older woman laid a towel down on the counter before carefully lying Jun down on his back.

“There, there...” Xian Lang soothed his cries as she undid the buttons on his onesie. Putting it off to the side, she peeled off his soiled diaper, much to the instructor’s disgust. The whiff and sight instantly had the younger woman wretch and reach for the toilet.

“Mulan, honey. Please pull yourself together. I’m gonna need your help.”

“You mean you don’t got this?” She asked between rasps.

“Mulan. Go in the bag and give me the baby wipes and a fresh diaper. Unless you want to do this yourself.”

Cradling her sensitive stomach, she reached in and fished out the supplies. The ornithologist set about cleaning and changing Jun with ease.

“Love, I don’t think I’m ready to have kids yet.”

“You don’t say.”

With a new pair of baby undies on, the boy giggled happily. Xian Lang couldn’t resist giggling herself.

“All better now, little man.” Before securing his onesie back on, the older woman blew a few raspberries to his stomach. Baby Jun squealed and squirmed in delight. Mulan watched the scene unfold with a soft smile present on her lips. The more she observed the adorable interaction, the more noticeable the longing, regretful smile on her girlfriend became.

****

The trio moved to the now baby-proofed living room. They were sat on the floor taking turns playing with Jun and his toys. The infant waved his arms excitedly as his caretakers set up an imaginary scene for him starring Rajah the tiger. He squealed in delight as Mulan birthed a scenario from her mind, animating the stuffed animal. Xian Lang laughed along until she felt a vibration go off in her pocket. Pulling her phone out, she addressed her girlfriend who paused to look up at her inquisitively.

“It’s work. I have to take this.”

“No no no don’t leave me here alone with him!”

Xian Lang cupped her cheek to brush a quick kiss to her lips. “You’ll be fine, my love. It shouldn’t be too long.”

Mulan protested but her lover was already answering the call and walking towards the front door. Pouting, she turned towards Jun, clueless as to what to do now. Thank goodness he was still entertained by Rajah. She smirked at the happy baby until a yawn broke its way out of his mouth. The instructor went into a full-blown panic mode again as she contemplated what to do. Xian Lang was still on the phone and hadn’t come back. No, she was on her own this time. She drew in a deep breath and composed herself as Jun’s energy quickly waned.

*Ok, I can do this. I can do this.*

Mimicking the hold she saw Xian Lang had on the baby, with his head properly cradled and supported, Mulan carefully drew him into her arms. She gently cooed him as she planned her next move. They didn’t have a crib but they did have soft beds.

Ascending the stairs, she opened up their master bedroom and laid him on top of their soft mattress. The younger woman peeled back the covers and tucked the squirming infant in.

“What? You were yawning just a minute ago and now you’re full of energy?”

Jun giggled in response and kicked off the blanket.

Mulan affectionately rolled her eyes. She did a quick scan of the room for anything that could aid her in putting the baby to sleep. A sigh escaped her when nothing of use was found. The closest thing that could help was a book about bird migration Xian Lang kept in a nightstand on her side of the bed. That wouldn’t do. There were no cute pictures and the text was filled with scientific jargon that made the martial arts instructor’s head spin. It only made sense and was very sexy if Dr. Lang was explaining it to her.

The younger woman performed some breathing exercises to decompress and relax. Her reverie was broken when she heard the sound of laughter bubbling. Cracking an eye open, she saw Jun kicking his legs excitedly at her. Then, an idea came to mind.

“We got a kung fu fan over here, do we? Wanna see some moves, baby boy?”

Jun squealed. A lopsided grin formed on Mulan’s mouth as she readied a stance.

“Ok, this one is easy. We call this form the Preying Mantis.” The instructor executed the technique with perfect precision. Her body and limbs flowing gracefully as she demonstrated her abilities and expertise in earnest. When the show winded down, Jun laughed and clapped his hands. Mulan chuckled and gave her audience a small bow.

“Why, thank you. If you liked that, you might like this one, too. The Tiger!”

The woman took a brief moment to reset her heart and concentrate. Moving with more ferocity than she did previous, the martial arts expert effortlessly performed the technique, bringing to life Jun’s favorite animal with her movements alone. She refused to break her focus even when the infant’s joy contested with her inner tiger’s roar. Finishing her second display of skill, Mulan smiled back at the happy boy.

“All right, Jun. One more and then sleepy time. I really wanna show you this one because it drives auntie Xian absolutely crazy. I present, the Eagle.”

Taking in a deep breath, she channeled all her energy and passion into delivering the perfect show of her favorite form. Muscle memory took over as her mind reminisced of her past years of practicing martial arts in secrecy from her parents and seeing the look on her lover’s face when she finally mastered the form. How far had she come now. From reenacting her favorite action scenes from kung fu movies as a little girl to becoming one of the most highly trained and admired martial arts masters at the local town’s dojo, the young woman lived truly and happily. Mulan could not have asked for a better life. She loved what she did and who she was with. Perhaps she would ask Xian Lang if she wanted to spar later in the afternoon. As her final act came to a close, the instructor closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Well, what did you think of that, Jun? Did you-. Jun?”

Her heart froze on the spot when she turned to find their bed empty. Tossing her head from one end of the room to the other, Mulan desperately tried to locate the missing baby. Looking under their bed and coming up empty, her heart went into an anxiety-filled overdrive state.

Clawing at her hair, the martial arts instructor struggled to remain calm and think rationally as panic returned to her tenfold. She had been foolish. She should have known something was afoot when the sounds of laughter had begun to die down. But, the woman was so caught up in nostalgia and form practice to notice anything else going on around her. As a result, Honghui and Mei’s son was missing.

“Jun!?” She called out again as she exited the bedroom to scour the hallway and every room upstairs. “Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit!”

The sound of the front door opening and closing drew her attention. Flying down the stairs, Mulan ran straight to her lover, almost knocking her down in the process.

“Honey girl, calm down. What’s wrong?” Xian Lang asked as she held her panting girlfriend from collapsing by the shoulders.

Mulan picked her head up to look her lover straight in the eye. The fear evident on her face now transferring to the other woman. “I lost the baby.”

“What!?”

“I lost the baby!”

“How!? I wasn’t even gone for that long!”

“I was trying to put him down for a nap and then when I looked up he was gone!” She explained hurriedly. There was no time right now to give her the full story.

“Oh my god.” Xian Lang pinched the bridge of her nose.

“What are we gonna do?”

The scientist glanced at her watch and formed a plan. “All right. We have an hour till Honghui and Mei come back. I’ll look down here and outside and you look upstairs.”

Mulan nodded and sprinted back upstairs. Xian Lang groaned and pressed her palm against her forehead before beginning her search. Now was not the time for blame. They had a small child to find and not a lot of time to do so. Their house measured over five thousand square feet of space and there was a curious, adventurous baby on the loose. One thing she was fortunate about in the blunder of her dear girlfriend was that at least the weapons were stored away safely. Hopefully.

****

Room after room was torn upside down in the search of the roaming infant. No luck and time was running short. The hour was almost up and the couple would be back anytime now. Xian Lang was dreading the conversation to take place should they fail in their mission.

Barging outside, the ornithologist scanned the expanse of green for miles for a familiar tiny sized human. The woman had the eyes of a hawk but they weren’t yielding any results at her most crucial time of need.

Just as she was about to leave the vicinity of their home, the unmistakable sound of a child’s laughter stopped her in her tracks. Craning her head, the older woman located the missing baby crawling on their balcony.

Xian Lang sighed in relief. “Mulan! I found him! He’s on the balcony!”

When no sound of confirmation or movement came, the scientist contemplated her next move. She didn’t want to lose sight of Jun again, especially considering his current whereabouts and what dangers could be presented. She was also several yards away from the back door. Speed would be of the essence.

Her eyes gradually widened with fear as baby Jun easily crawled under the railing and gravely reached towards the edge.

“Oh no...”

The infant explorer slipped through and fell off the second floor. Xian Lang’s legs had never carried her so fast in her entire life, but even still, she knew she wouldn’t make it in time.

Everything seemed to slow and blur in that moment. The older woman was too focused on the baby that she didn’t even notice Mulan zooming with speeds uncharted towards the free-falling baby from the corner of her eye. The martial arts instructor leapt and twisted to safely catch Jun in her arms before landing on her back.

Upon closer inspection, Xian Lang found neither one seriously injured. The baby boy giggled as if he hadn’t just almost died and Mulan smiled tiredly up at him. The scientist gently took him from her girlfriend to properly give him a once-over. The infant was safe and sound.

“Thank goodness.” She laid a kiss atop his head and helped her girlfriend to her feet.

“Let’s not do that again.” Mulan suggested exasperatedly as she brushed the dirt and twigs off her.

“Agreed.”

The trio walked back inside to wait patiently for the parents to return.

****

“Thanks again for watching him. I hope he wasn’t too much trouble?”

“Nope.” Mulan grinned, popping the ‘p.’ “None at all.”

“Oh, that’s a relief! Little Jun over here is an explorer. He just won’t stay in one place, isn’t that right?” Mei nuzzled her nose against her son’s stomach, prompting him to burst out into fits of laughter. Mulan and Xian Lang just shot each other a look.

Honghui walked over to take their bag off their hands and give them both a hug goodbye.

“Thank you so much for watching our baby. Come on, hon. Let’s go home.”

Farewells were exchanged. Mulan and Xian Lang stood rooted at their spots on the ground as they smiled and waved at the other couple pulling out of their driveway.

“You think we should have told them?” Mulan asked through her plastered grin, eyes never leaving their car.

“Absolutely not.”

When they pulled out from their view, the lovebirds visibly relaxed. Mulan threw her head back while Xian Lang sagged her shoulders.

“Well that was a close one.”

“Yeah. Remind me to never leave you alone with a baby from now on.”

The younger woman pivoted to loop her arms around her lover’s neck. The other woman reciprocated by wrapping her own arms around a lithe waist.

“Hey, what was that back there?”

“What do you mean?”

“You looked so, glum, every time you played with Jun. Are you ok?”

Xian Lang averted her stare with downcast eyes. Mulan tenderly cupped her cheek as she waited patiently for an answer.

“It’s just-...” the older woman started, but struggled to find the right words to explain. “Playing with Jun today made me think about... my past aspirations.”

“What were they?” Mulan asked softly, trying to get the other woman to meet her eyes.

She exhaled a shaky breath as her mind recalled a significant part of her life.

“When I lost my parents very early on... what brought me a glimmer of hope was a dream that someday, I’d be able to find or make a new family for myself. People who would love and accept me for who I am.”

Mulan offered her a comforting smile. She knew her lover had not lived an easy life from the start. Losing her parents before age five and moving from one foster home to another constantly, Xian Lang was all alone growing up. Although she was gifted in intellect, her prowess for quick learning capabilities came at a price. Her fascination with birds and advanced studies often subjected her to vicious mockery and isolation from her peers.

“I had fantasies even... that, my daughter would change the world and create a haven for extraordinary people such as ourselves.”

“What changed your mind?”

The scientist sighed dejectedly. “The world is needlessly cruel to those who are different. The world will always be cruel to people like us. I fear for that little girl’s safety.”

Mulan leaned forward to capture the older woman’s lips in a gentle kiss. Resting their foreheads together, she made a promise. “I know I’m nowhere near ready to raise a kid yet. If what happened today is anything to go by,”

Xian Lang couldn’t help the snort that came out of her mouth. Mulan laughed along, too.

“But, will you be patient with me? You’ll get the family you deserve.”

The ornithologist nodded. Hope sparking against her better judgement.

“I’m not stressing about it. Or in any rush. We’ve got each other. That’s all that matters to me.”

They pulled themselves in for another longing and loving kiss.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Mulan laid her head on the crook of her girlfriend’s shoulder. They stayed wrapped tightly in their embrace, with the setting sun and the cool late afternoon breeze flowing around them. Skies painted in hues and streaks of orange, red, and yellow overlapping endless blue. Suddenly, the martial arts instructor remembered something.

“Hey, you want to spar?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all liked it. If there's anything you disliked or think that I could improve on, please let me know. I might not be able to write as much as I would like for the rest of the month; which means we may not get to see a new story for the next 2-3 weeks. Shift change at work. My sleep schedule is about to be fifty shades of fucked but ya girl is gonna try her hardest to write whenever possible. Until next time.


End file.
